Lyrics for Margaret vs. Pauline as interpreted by delial

Margaret vs. Pauline Lyrics
Everything's so easy for Pauline
Everything's so easy for Pauline

Ancient strings set feet a'light to speed to her
Such mild grace
No monument of tacky gold
They smooth her hair with cinnamon waves
And they placed an ingot in her breast
To burn, cool and collected
Fate holds her firm in its cradle
And then rolls her for a tender pause to savor

Everything’s so easy for Pauline

Girl with the parking lot eyes
Margaret is the fragment of a name
Her bravery is mistaken for the thrashing in the lake
By a make-believe monster whose picture is fake
Margaret is the fragment of a name

Her love pours like a fountain
Her love steams like rage
Jaw aches from wanting
And she's sick from chlorine
But she'll never be as clean
As the cool side of satin, Pauline

Two girls ride the blue line
Two girls walk down the same street
One left a sweater sitting on the train
And the other lost three fingers at the cannery

Everything's so easy for Pauline
For Pauline...

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 14 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
Thief-
03-13-2006

Rated 0 
This song is probably about the common man, and the rich man, and the seperation of the two.

Log in to reply
RKLeng
03-28-2006

Rated 0 
It seems likely to me that she draws a bit on Louise Erdrich's novel, Tracks. Margaret and Pauline are two of the main characters. Margaret isn't a girl though - she's an older Chippewa woman trying to survive on a reservation in North Dakota. Pauline is a half-Chippewa, half white Canadian girl who becomes very white in respect to her religion and culture. Pauline sort of sets herself against some of the people on the reservation and seeks to convert them to Christianity. It's a real culture battle, and Pauline comes off as a very horrible, self-made martyr. I am not sure this story is what Neko is after, though. Pauline's real enemy in the story is Fleur, who is sort of the Chippewa's defender and keeper of the old Chippewa ways. Fleur is also supposedly in league with a lake monster/man who gives her power over the winds. Other than the names of the characters and the lake monster reference, I think the song mostly has nothing to do with the novel in any specificity. Thief's comment seems to be a fair interpretation.

Log in to reply
louderthanbombs
04-14-2006

Rated 0 
This song, like all the others on the cd are based on eastern european folklore.

Log in to reply
dmesg
07-23-2006

Rated 0 
I think Pauline is dead, and Margaret, who "has to go on living", envies her.

Log in to reply
Ohhhhh Peaches
08-09-2006

Rated 0 
In a radio interview with Neko, she said it was about how fate plays favourites - Margaret can't help but flounder, because Pauline is fated to be adored. Pauline sounds like a perfect princess, with a cool and collected heart and wavy cinnamon-coloured hair, while Margaret is oafish and clumsy - 'thrashing in a lake' and she lost three fingers at the cannery. And because it's fate, Margaret can never get ahead - she'll never be as clean as that cool side of satin Pauline.

Log in to reply
myelectricheart
08-31-2006

Rated +1 
This song is actually from "In Watermelon Sugar" by Richard Brautigan. Margaret and Pauline are two of the main characters in the story, and in her tour diary Neko said that this a book she loved. Just thought that might help :)

Log in to reply
TearsforAffairs
09-03-2006

Rated 0 
Here's my interpretation:

"they smooth her hair with cinnamon waves
and they placed an ingot in her breast
to burn, cool and collected"

The morticians beautified Pauline for her funeral

"but she’ll never be as clean
as the cool side of satin, pauline"

Margaret's jealous of Pauline, who's dead in a coffin (cool side of satin) and in eternal peace

"Everything's so easy for Pauline"

once again, everything's easier when you're dead

Log in to reply
anaisconce
09-18-2007

Rated 0 
I believe it is about how Fate plays favorites like it was mentioned above.

The death portrayal ignores a lot of the other verses.

The very first verse describes how Pauline was created. The ingot in her breast is her heart of gold. "Fate holds her firm in its cradle, and then rolls her for a tender pause to savor." Fate created this lovely doll then let her go for a tender pause, her life, to enjoy.

Magaret gets nothing.

Log in to reply
inwatermelonsugar
09-23-2007

Rated 0 
This song is actually based on the book "In Watermelon Sugar" as MyElectricHeart said.
It is about how Margaret is so loving, and can't really deny those who are shunned, and because of that she is slightly pushed away. While on the other hand Pauline is a simple girl and is loved because of it. Margaret likes the unknown and all that has been lost throughout time.

It's really hard to describe... I guess you'd have to read the book.
I read the book, and I must say Ms. Case describes the characters very well, but she does not tell you the story.

Good book.

Log in to reply
TheSFletcher
11-14-2007

Rated 0 
I love the lines:

One left a sweater sitting on the train
And the other lost three fingers at the cannery

As these are both tradgedies to the respective girls.
I can just see some girls from my school flipping out about loosing a sweater, and if three of their fingers were chopped off.

Log in to reply
TheSFletcher
11-14-2007

Rated 0 
*as if three of their fingers were chopped off.

Log in to reply
downhillracers
09-16-2008

Rated 0 
CLASS
STRUGGLE

Log in to reply
overlyelectrical
03-07-2009

Rated 0 
not so much class struggle as the inherent inequity of life

Log in to reply
Thinker5
03-14-2009

Rated 0 
Great deep song with multiple interpretations possible. Here's my thought:
I think Margaret killed Pauline.

Log in to reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here